A bag of decomposing puppies was found in a bin when animal welfare officers searched a farm, a court heard yesterday.

Father and daughter Peter Hughes and Kerry Wilson appeared in court charged with keeping 30 dogs in poor conditions.

Magistrates were told that they kept animals in small kennels with no proper shelter, with others having no bedding or straw to lie on. Some of the dogs were pregnant.

Puppies were left standing on dangerous slatted floors which could have injured them and there were bowls of dirty drinking water which led to concerns for the animals’ welfare, prosecutor James Cullen said.

“There was also a lot of faeces in the kennels which exacerbated the condition,” he told magistrates.

Wrexham Magistrates Court also heard the bag with young dogs’ remains was found in a bin.

Hughes, 77, of Gladstone Road, Broughton, and Wilson, 25, of Bryn Awelon, Buckley, have pleaded not guilty to a charge of failing to look after the dogs in a suitable environment at Ashford Farm, Halkyn, near Mold.

Hughes has also pleaded not guilty to a charge of breaching a previous disqualification in November 2007, which banned him from looking after dogs, imposed by magistrates in Chester.

The Wrexham court heard how a team of RSPCA inspectors, North Wales Police officers and a vet executed a search warrant at the farm on December 7 after information was passed on to them about the possible condition of the animals.

Although the dogs were said to be in a good state of health, a vet said the conditions of the kennels and the barn some were housed in were unacceptable.

The court heard when Hughes turned up at the farm, a police officer claimed he had told him he had come to feed the dogs, which would have put him in breach of his ban.

But he told RSPCA insp Fred Armstrong he had nothing to do with the looking after of the animals.

Wilson turned up later and the inspectors were informed she owned 26 of the dogs with four belonging to her sister, Sandy.

“Kelly Wilson said she believed she was giving enough time to care for the dogs,” Mr Cullen said.

But the court heard it was a cold evening and a decision had been taken to remove the animals amid fears for their health.

“Some space was too small for the puppies, not allowing them to exercise or play, which could have damaged their development,” Mr Cullen said.

“All dogs were denied freedom from discomfort for one or more reasons.”

Mr Cullen said there was also an “irresistible inference” that Hughes must have had some involvement with the care of the dogs.

Giving evidence Insp Armstrong said: “There was a lack of bedding for the dogs and also some dogs didn’t have water.

“There was a puppy who was about 11 months old who didn’t have any bedding and the floor was a metal grating which was quite harsh.”